The period from Thanksgiving to Christmas is the happiest and most exciting part of the year for me.  Everytime I see Costco begin selling Christmas trees and ornaments and Macy's putting up the trees in their Holiday Lane in September, I know Christmas is just around the corner.  While some visitors and shoppers in Macy's were quite surprised to see Christmas stuff for sale this early, I know it has been a Macy's tradition to have their Christmas store up and ready by September's end and I just love it. I just can't wait for the giant tree in Union Square and see the entire city all decked out for the holidays.

One thing I noticed though is that the German Nutcrackers and all the European glass blown ornaments I used to see fill many shelves and Christmas trees in many department stores are now gone and replaced with ones from China.  The only stores I know stocking and selling these classic decorations are Gump's and Neiman Marcus here in San Francisco.

While taking pictures of the decorations in Macy's, one equally enthused shopper commented that I should also check out Neiman Marcus next door since they too were Christmas ready.    These are the wonderful images that brightened my day today.

This display greets visitors this year to Macy's Holiday Lane

China made nutcrackers of every kind.  Sadly, the uber expensive but very beautiful German Nutcrackers as well as the classic glass blown ornaments from Eastern Europe are of thing of the past now especially with the current US economy.

I love these nutcrackers in the form of ballerinas.  I tell you, nutcrackers take all shapes, forms, and sizes now.  There was even a Marilyn Monroe type on another table.

I love Christmas so much, I admit to being a Christmas Geek and I am proud of it!  I can still remember in the late 1990s and early 2000s when I lined up outside Macy's in the cold and the dark together with other shoppers eager to get our hands on our favorite Christmas decor at 50% off.  To date, I have over 40 boxes of Christmas ornaments and have changed trees over four times already.

This is only a fraction of Macy's already downsized Holiday Lane this year.  It is simply amazing.  I have yet to see a country besides the USA decorate its Christmas trees in the same flamboyant and extravagant manner.  Not even Germany comes close.

More fabulous trees

Are those Santa Teddies cute?

This blog report would not be complete if I didn't show the different themed Christmas trees Macy's is famous for showcasing.  I remember many years ago when tourists from Australia begged the store's decorators to let them take pictures of the beautiful trees they were still putting up.  Just who could resist anyway?

These are the ornaments on the Hawaiian themed tree.

This, on the other hand, is the San Francisco tree.  I have my eyes on some ornaments from this tree.  They were so cute.  One advantage of buying China made ornaments is the inexpensive price, no doubt.

This is the Pan Asian designed tree.  There are buddhas, lanterns, origamis, pandas, carps, and dragons.  Besides the San Francisco themed tree, this is also one of my favorites from the Holiday Lane collection of trees this year.

Now, the following pictures I took in swank Neiman Marcus.  Their Christmas section is already up but still small.  I know it gets bigger and bigger in scope as the holiday nears.